By Savannah Hulsey Pointer
Lawmakers announced on Dec. 9 three new bipartisan bills to address online violence and sexual abuse as part of a government push to crack down on child exploitation.
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, respectively, introduced the legislation to combat the growing problem and hold criminals accountable.
“Changes in technology have created new opportunities for criminals to harass, exploit, intimidate, and harm American children. These horrific crimes—often committed by violent online groups who take advantage of our nation’s outdated laws—have gone unchecked for far too long,” Grassley said in a statement.
The lawmaker referenced the massive changes that have taken place online since the current laws were created.
Durbin made a similar comment, saying, “Because of modern technology, child predators from anywhere in the world can target American kids online. As technology has evolved, so have online child exploiters.”
Meanwhile, Department of Justice officials recently announced a crackdown on online predator networks that target vulnerable groups.
ECCHO Act
The Ending Coercion of Children and Harm Online Act, or ECCHO Act,will create a new crime that explicitly prohibits coercing a child into physically harming themselves or others.
The penalty for committing this crime includes sentencing that could put a perpetrator in prison for life in cases involving the victim’s actual or attempted suicide, or the death of another person.
Should the legislation pass, it also imposes a 30-year maximum penalty for conduct that is harmful to the victim but doesn’t involve death.
The increase in activity of dangerous groups that prey on children online, such as the 764 network, has spurred the FBI to track what it calls “nihilistic violent extremists who engage in criminal conduct … seeking to destroy civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations.”
According to the FBI, the networks “methodically target and exploit minors” and others. The groups use threats, blackmail, and other forms of manipulation to coerce or extort victims.
The mother of a child exploited by a 764 group member told the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that the individual pushed her daughter to cut the member’s screen name into her arm with a razor blade.
The individual then told her she was a “good girl” and that he or she loved her. To the mother’s surprise, her daughter responded, “I love you too!”
“These guys are very scary,” the mother told the organization. “Just the power they have over my daughter is mind blowing. Please help!”
According to a news release by Grassley’s office, existing laws “do not adequately address this extreme behavior.”
Stop Sextortion Act
The Stop Sextortion Act, also sponsored by the Judiciary Committee leaders, would allow law enforcement to target those who distribute child sexual abuse materials—also known as CSAM—as a way of controlling or intimidating children.
The bill would increase the maximum penalty for these offenses from five years to 10 years.
The lawmakers cited data from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which reported that in 2024, the number of tips sent to their tipline about “sadistic online exploitation” saw a more than 200 percent increase over 2023.
These tips included online groups or individuals encouraging children to harm themselves and others, including cutting, creating child sexual abuse materials, and sexually exploiting other children—including their own siblings—harming animals, committing murder, and taking their own lives.
Many of these instances involved financial threats by criminals who convinced victims to send graphic images and then demanded money.
SAFE Act
The Sentencing Accountability for Exploitation Act, or SAFE Act, aims to repeal outdated sentencing for those involved in the production or distribution of child sexual abuse materials.
The bill would require the U.S. Sentencing Commission to develop sentencing guidelines specifically for CSAM that take into account modern problems relating to the dangerous conduct.
Aggravating factors include whether the offender is participating in an online group dedicated to CSAM, the length of time that the offender has been involved with this kind of material, whether the offenders use tools to conceal their identity, if the offender used multiple platforms to engage in CSAM, and the number of victims harmed.
Currently, sentencing guidelines for those involved in the production or distribution of child sexual abuse materials are based on decades-old legislation and don’t take into account those factors. According to the lawmakers, this allows some “nefarious child abusers to skate by with lesser sentences.”
The Perpetrators
In March, the FBI warned of a “sharp increase” in activity from 764 and similar networks.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said the group is “producing some of the most sadistic online enticement reports” it has ever seen. The group has been known to prey on victims as young as 9 years old.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on Nov. 20 that the bureau is “fully engaged in taking down the heinous ‘764’ network that targets America’s children online.”
The director went on to say that more than 300 investigations are underway across the United States and that the agency is “not stopping.”
According to a statement by Durbin, “Congress has spent enough time investigating tech platforms’ failures; it’s now time that we deliver for the American people.”
Grassley added, “Congress must stand up for American families and finally address the online rot that is hurting children nationwide. I’m proud to introduce these bills to protect children from online abuse, hold dangerous criminals accountable and secure much needed justice for victims and their families.”
